Issue 3415 | Magazine cover date: 3 December 2022

This week's magazine

3 December 2022

Issue 3415

Previous issue Next issue

On the cover

Culture

The best non-fiction books of 2022: A feast for the soul

Features

The search for Britain’s lost rainforests and the battle to save them

How postbiotics could boost your health and even help reverse ageing

The exotic quantum effects found hiding inside ultra-thin materials

��è��Ƶ

A 48,500-year-old virus has been revived from Siberian permafrost

Physicists have designed a urinal that drastically reduces splashback

Japanese firm ispace is racing to put first private lander on the moon

Promising universal flu vaccine could protect against 20 strains

View in the app

Check out this magazine in our easy-to-navigate mobile app

Find a previous edition online

Search through our digital archive of over 30 years of magazines

Rocket engines and fire duting the missile launch at night, close up. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.; Shutterstock ID 1327041179; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Space

Growing off-world diversity is making space for everyone

��è��Ƶ

Health

How postbiotics could boost your health and even help reverse ageing

Features

Physics

The exotic quantum effects found hiding inside ultra-thin materials

Features

Environment

The search for Britain’s lost rainforests and the battle to save them

Features

Leaders

Space

Growing off-world diversity is making space for everyone

With more groups and organisations exploring space than ever before, we will all benefit from a diverse range of people and views in low Earth orbit and beyond

��è��Ƶ

Technology

Drones on strings could puppeteer people in virtual reality

Having drones on strings attached to a person could provide a more realistic simulation of interacting with physical objects in virtual reality

��è��Ƶ

Technology

Prosthetic leg can 'change gears' to make going up stairs easier

��è��Ƶ

Environment

Mussel numbers in the river Thames have dropped by up to 99 per cent

��è��Ƶ

Health

A 48,500-year-old virus has been revived from Siberian permafrost

��è��Ƶ

Technology

Meta's board game-playing AI can pass as a human in game negotiations

��è��Ƶ

Technology

BBC documentary used face-swapping AI to hide protesters' identities

��è��Ƶ

Life

Oldest army ant found in 35-million-year-old Baltic amber

��è��Ƶ

Space

JWST has spotted chemical reactions in an exoplanet's atmosphere

��è��Ƶ

Health

Specific brain markers could help diagnose children with ADHD

��è��Ƶ

Physics

Physicists have designed a urinal that drastically reduces splashback

��è��Ƶ

Health

Vaccine to prevent UTIs could be taken as a dissolving tablet

��è��Ƶ

Life

Bustards may use plants to treat STIs during the breeding season

��è��Ƶ

Space

ESA's new astronauts include former Paralympian runner John McFall

��è��Ƶ

Technology

A volunteer project used GPS to detect a North Korean missile test

��è��Ƶ

Space

Japanese firm ispace is racing to put first private lander on the moon

��è��Ƶ

Technology

Gliding sensors inspired by floating seeds will biodegrade after use

��è��Ƶ

Chemistry

Genetically modified tobacco plant produces cocaine in its leaves

��è��Ƶ

Health

Promising universal flu vaccine could protect against 20 strains

��è��Ƶ

Space

Bluewalker 3 satellite is brighter than 99.8 per cent of visible stars

��è��Ƶ

Life

Ancient predator was one of first vertebrates to grow fast while young

��è��Ƶ

Life

A rat without a Y chromosome could be a glimpse of our genetic future

��è��Ƶ

Earth

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano is erupting for the first time since 1984

��è��Ƶ

Life

'Unselfish' genes that make plants cooperate could boost crop yields

��è��Ƶ

Life

Bats and death metal singers use the same throat structure to growl

��è��Ƶ

Health

Boarding school rules on phones and bedtimes help teens get more sleep

��è��Ƶ

Analysis

Technology

Ukraine's nuclear plants face uncertain future after Russian attacks

Attacks on Ukraine's power grid took all 15 of the nation's nuclear reactors offline for the first time ever. Russia also retains control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe

��è��Ƶ

Life

Long-haul flights: bad for the planet, necessary for global research

Comment

Environment

COP27 saw progress on climate reparations, but more action is needed

��è��Ƶ

Aperture

PHOTO DATE: 10-14-22 LOCATION: Black Point Lava Flow, Arizona SUBJECT: Photographic documentation of Crew-1 re familiarization in support for Desert Rats 2022 in Flagstaff, Arizona. PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL STAFFORD

Space

See the astronauts learning how to walk on the moon... in Arizona

These photographs are of JETT3 and D-RATS, two Earth-based missions designed to replicate aspects of future moon landings and help NASA engineers enable astronauts to do science on the lunar surface

Regulars

Features

Environment

The search for Britain’s lost rainforests and the battle to save them

Fragments of temperate rainforest grow in parts of England, Wales and Scotland, and with the right action we could help them thrive

Features

Health

How postbiotics could boost your health and even help reverse ageing

Features

Physics

The exotic quantum effects found hiding inside ultra-thin materials

Features

Culture

Silhouette of a man in a tent. He reads a book and drinks tea. Winter time. Pine forest.

Humans

The best non-fiction books of 2022: A feast for the soul

From concrete dinosaurs to human evolution, exquisite plants to space travel, we pick the best non-fiction to give to those you love this year

Culture

Humans

The best science fiction books of 2022: Uncertainty, dystopia and hope

Culture

Environment

Down to Earth with Zac Efron review: Eco-doc series makes green sexy

Culture

2D1173P Moon and Mars conjunction almost occultation

Space

How to see Mars disappear behind the moon this December

A rare lunar occultation of Mars will be visible from parts of the world this month. Abigail Beall explains how to spot it

Regulars

Puzzle #196: Can you work out which trainer’s horse came first?

Regulars

Tom Gauld on handling a difference of opinion

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on finding a new social media site

Regulars

What science can bring to your karaoke performance

Feedback investigates the factors that might make a difference to the performances of amateur karaoke singers, while also looking into the pulse-raising possibilities of harvesting and storing energy from sweat

Regulars

��è����Ƶ

This week's magazine

3 December 2022

On the cover

Space

Growing off-world diversity is making space for everyone

Health

How postbiotics could boost your health and even help reverse ageing

Physics

The exotic quantum effects found hiding inside ultra-thin materials

Environment

The search for Britain’s lost rainforests and the battle to save them

Table of contents

Leaders

Space

Growing off-world diversity is making space for everyone

��è����Ƶ

Technology

Drones on strings could puppeteer people in virtual reality

Technology

Prosthetic leg can 'change gears' to make going up stairs easier

Environment

Mussel numbers in the river Thames have dropped by up to 99 per cent

Health

A 48,500-year-old virus has been revived from Siberian permafrost

Technology

Meta's board game-playing AI can pass as a human in game negotiations

Technology

BBC documentary used face-swapping AI to hide protesters' identities

Life

Oldest army ant found in 35-million-year-old Baltic amber

Space

JWST has spotted chemical reactions in an exoplanet's atmosphere

Health

Specific brain markers could help diagnose children with ADHD

Physics

Physicists have designed a urinal that drastically reduces splashback

Health

Vaccine to prevent UTIs could be taken as a dissolving tablet

Life

Bustards may use plants to treat STIs during the breeding season

Space

ESA's new astronauts include former Paralympian runner John McFall

Technology

A volunteer project used GPS to detect a North Korean missile test

Space

Japanese firm ispace is racing to put first private lander on the moon

Technology

Gliding sensors inspired by floating seeds will biodegrade after use

Chemistry

Genetically modified tobacco plant produces cocaine in its leaves

Health

Promising universal flu vaccine could protect against 20 strains

Space

Bluewalker 3 satellite is brighter than 99.8 per cent of visible stars

Life

Ancient predator was one of first vertebrates to grow fast while young

Life

A rat without a Y chromosome could be a glimpse of our genetic future

Earth

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano is erupting for the first time since 1984

Life

'Unselfish' genes that make plants cooperate could boost crop yields

Life

Bats and death metal singers use the same throat structure to growl

Health

Boarding school rules on phones and bedtimes help teens get more sleep

Analysis

Technology

Ukraine's nuclear plants face uncertain future after Russian attacks

Life

Long-haul flights: bad for the planet, necessary for global research

Environment

COP27 saw progress on climate reparations, but more action is needed

Aperture

Space

See the astronauts learning how to walk on the moon... in Arizona

Features

Environment

The search for Britain’s lost rainforests and the battle to save them

��è��Ƶ

��è��Ƶ